At the May 5th Chamber Meeting, we welcomed Bryan Wood, Executive Director for the Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center to join us as the guest presentation and share some information about about the organization and how the current pandemic is affecting their organization.
Wood began by sharing some history of the organization, “In January 2020, the Audubon Center of the North Woods formally changed its name to Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center. There was a lot of confusion around the word “Audubon” in our former name—many people thought that we were focused on bird conservation and/or that we were part of National Audubon Society and not a separate, independent nonprofit. It did not allow us to have our own identity due to the strong word associations with ‘Audubon’. Acknowledging our long history, we maintain the osprey as our logo and the educational opportunities it presents and to maintain that continuity with our long history.”
Wood further explained that nearly 85% of their operating revenue comes from the educational programs that are offered at their site. Contracts with schools for day trips or extended stays (with nearly 4,000 students participating in a typical year) as well as the Dinner by the Lake and Women’s Wellness Weekends have all been put on hold during the current stay-at-home order.
As part of his presentation, Wood shared a copy of the trail map of their facility. Until regular programming can resume, the trail system is open to the public for walking. Leashed dogs are permitted.
Learn more about this organization by visiting their website at www.ospreywilds.org.
The Pine City Chamber meets monthly on the first Tuesday of each month. We are welcoming our members to share short presentations about their business or organization as part of our meetings. If interested in presenting, please contact our office at 320.322.4040 to discuss upcoming opportunities.